The Newtown bee., 1887-12-30
DANBURY.

onr merchants put blaze of light h their windows and salesrooms and Main street was a dazzling sight. The streets were thronged and the stores crowded. Men, women and children alike had thoroughly caught the spirit. especially the shopping spirit and crowds were going in or coming out with arms full of packages and faces beaming with joy. Little girls, with eyes sparkling with eager expectancy, tripped in and out the crowd like spirits and boys were liberally sandwiched in the throng, with bnlging eyes taking in everything Joy ruled the hour. Happiness was de- pictcd on nearly every face, shaded per- l haps, in some instances, with slight anx- -ty, but, when the desired gift for friends was purchased, cleared up and revealed more brightly the joyousness which was the keynote of the interesting picture. It was season of brotherly kindness Christ mas is one of our most interesting festivals and is every year being more observed and dearer to the heart of Christendom. Per haps is not understood, or fully realized. Many who are taken with externals accept it as holiday ana pleasant occasion for l family gatherings and interchange of | friendly gifts and feasting. It is all that | and much more. It commentaries one of l the grandest and most far-reaching events i'll the history of mankind It celebrates, or should commemorate, the earthly birth of Him whose advent rolled off the clouds that had darkened the world for centuries and revealed the universal fatherhood of God and the universal brotherhood of man and opened the gate of immortality. The coming of the Babe of Bethlehem, the birth of Jesus of Nazareth, introduced kindness into the world, considerate,ten- der, loving kindness to every living creat- ure. The simple religion of Jesus the | Christ is softening in it's influence on hard hearts, is refining, is elevating, IS brother ly It strikes at all narrowness. all eXclu- siveness, all selfishness It sweeps away caste. It condemns all tyranny, all cruel ty, all oppression. It grants equality to the race. It is the germ of all free civil government It countenances no wrong. It emancipates. It inspires. It embraces all good to all men. It condemns that pal try narrowness of modern sectarianism | that stirs up contention in the house of brethren. These are the reasons why Christians rejoice at the Christmas season, the season of kindness, when the heart of brother embraces brother. when soul goes out to soul and all Christendom is one family. Christianity is truth. Truth is simple. It expands. It is characteristic of Truth to grow. Occasionally wave of infidelity has rolled against it and been broken against the rock of it's foundation. Voltaire, Hume, Paine, have had their boastful day, have gone down, and Truth goes steadily on. Our apostle of agnosti- csm, Ingersoll, who, standing up, mite, with Gods revelation all around him and living on His goodness, denies His exist rnce, utters fiippant blasphemies against Him and. in his blind and boastful zeal, shakes his baby fist at Omnipotence and | in his overwhelming self-conceit hopes to drive God from His own universe and close the gate of immortality. He at tempts to remove God from the belief of men He attacks the Christians belief in immortality and would blot out his inspir- ing faith He would pull down the beau tiful house the Christian believer lives in and turn him out houseless and hopeless, giving him no substitute for the building he has pulled down, no equivalent for the inspiring faith he has robbed him of.leav- ing him to the mercy of cold. barren atheism and to final annihilation, He strips man of his distinguishing attribute and unmans him. He unmans himself. He is, personally. kind as neighbor and | brotherly in his way and talks eloquently of the religion of humanity, but his teach | ing is not humane, but unkind. IL is spir- | itual robbery and unbrotherly. It is de- moralizing. He will pass away, as other scoffers and mistaken brothers and make no more lasting impression on eternal Truth than the winnings of a fretful child
 William o son of Ezra P. Knapp, who died on the 22d 21 years old, was buried on Saturday.
 The illustrated lecture by the educated | Chinaman, Yan Phou Lee, was interesting and instructive, He showed up the Chi nese in a rather better light than we have been in the habit of regarding them. He says that the specimens usually seen here misrepresent the Chinese as a people, be ing from the lower classes.
 There was fire on Elm street. last week Monday night; damage about $500 Ear ly next morning, the alarm rang for an other in South street. A small grocery owned by Mir Cunningham was destroyed Again, Saturday morning. an alarm was sent out for fire in Nichols & Hines fac. tory. Fortunately. it was discovered ir time to save it from damaging the factory to great extent.
 Mrs Triphene Bevans died, last week Thursday night, aged 101 years and about eight months. She was a Danburian by birth and resided here during her long life. She was married S2 years ago to Henry S. Bevans, who died l9 years ago She has many descendants.
 | A goodly number of Danburians enjoy ed much pleasure on two special occasions last week large delegation of Odd Eel lows Samaritan lodge) went on fraterna visit to New Milford, Thursday evening and were kindly received. hospitably en tertained and returned with increased re spect for their New Milford brethren Fri day evening an excursion train took abou 100 to Bridgeport to enjoy the sights ant doipgs of Bridgeporterss Danburans wer, surprised. delighted and dazzled with tn, blaze of glory that enyeloped the city b, the Sound. They returned with the i'm pression that Bridgeport can outshin, anything to date and also with a twinginl feeling that Danbury. too. sometime. vii set up parti-colored arches of glory ant invite in her neighbors
 The unique Doll Carnival at the Baptis church was we'll attended and liberall. patronized and many of the little dear were disposed of and went into loyint hands and now dwell in some of our frs . families. They were fancifully arrange
 in the church parlers and played varie ty of parts. Some played atgetting mar ried It looked little odd, the bride groom in tights and swallow-tail coats They were mostly girls. The lady attend ants at he tables patted the little creai ures affeciionately and seemed to reca
 the doll period and they entered into tn
 matter with the vim and old time interes :. of girlhood.
 A German stranger was found lyin
 face downward in the snow on Mort
 street. the other night. in an insensiblt
 half frozen state. grasping whiskey fias
 by the neck He was taken in by peopl who acted the good Samaritan, warmed fed. warmly lodged and sent on his wa
 in the morning. He could talk but littl English. That was brotherly kindness
 in keeping with the season.